Adelaide forward Trent 'Rowdy' Hentschel is smiling again, free of pain in his right knee and ready to start a year-long rehabilitation program he hopes will lead to resuming his football career in the NAB Cup competition this time next year.Hentschel had his right knee reconstructed 11 days ago, and five months after preparatory surgery in which the lateral ligaments were repaired and bone was grafted from a hip."It went really well," Hentschel said of his latest operation. "The surgeon was really happy with it. He said it should be as good as a new knee, so that's really positive and has given me hope that I can get back to where I was before the injury."Everything went well from the last (previous) operation and the recovery went well, so it's all positive. The worst is over and done with."My leg faded away a fair bit and I lost a lot of strength in it, and he said he wouldn't operate until it was on the way back to being at full strength, so I took five months instead of three or four (before the second operation)."I think I'll be right by this time next year, so it doesn't really put me back in terms of playing, but I guess in terms of progress it does a little bit, but I don't think it's much of a setback."I had to be able to straighten it fully and bend it fully, so that was probably the hardest part of the rehab."Hentschel, 24 last Christmas Day, wrecked his knee in last season's round-21 match against Port Adelaide at AAMI Stadium.At the time, Adelaide coach Neil Craig described Hentschel's injury as 'horrific - probably the worst knee injury I've been exposed to', and there were fears he would be unable to add to his 61 AFL matches since 2003."I was a bit down to start with but I guess there are a lot of people in a worse case than I am," Hentschel said at AAMI Stadium on Wednesday. "A lot of people are a lot worse off than I am. I've had a fair few letters that have lifted my spirits … people writing in saying they've had worse things happen to them, so it's all positive."I know of only one other sportsperson who's had my injury, and he was a basketballer - Neil Mottram from the Melbourne Tigers - and he's got back and he won an NBL championship, so that's given me hope."I have four weeks of physio and upper body weights, and then I can start the bike after four weeks and running after three months. I should be able to do a fair bit of running before pre-season even starts."On the bike with Charlie (Walsh) for another eight (weeks) should be a bit of fun(!) And there'll be a fair bit of swimming. I think Schwerty (fitness coach Stephen Schwerdt) has got that every second or third day. He loves the pool, so I'm sure I'll be in there a fair bit."I won't be joining in with the group at the start of pre-season but I guess I can do a lot of fitness before then and sort of build up into the NAB Cup."At the invitation of forward coach David Noble, Hentschel is working - in an advisory capacity - with Jonathon Griffin, Bernie Vince and Nick Gill, among others."Nobes has got me involved and has talked about keeping me involved so that'll be really good this year to feel a part of it," he said.